Doors provide a much-needed entrance and exit to your home, but they also play a role in energy efficiency. If your door isn’t properly weatherstripped, it can let in the hot or cold air from outside and fail to form a seal between your home and the outdoors. Luckily, weatherstripping is an easy project and here, our door repair experts tell you how to do it:

Installing Weatherstripping

1. If your door is older, it may not have any weatherstripping and you’ll have to install it yourself.
2. Start by deciding what kind of weatherstripping you want for your door (our door repair experts recommend wrapped foam).
3. Next, purchase the right size kit for the size of your door.
4. After that, close the door and measure the top of the frame from side to side.
5. On one of the smaller pieces of weatherstripping, start at one end and repeat the measurement you just took. Make a mark at the end.
6. Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the foam part of the weatherstripping at the mark and a hack saw to cut the flange part.
7. Repeat steps repeat steps 4-6 with the other three sides of your door and your weatherstripping.
8. Position your weatherstrips against your door so that they compress slightly. (They should fit snugly against the door but not so much that the door doesn’t close properly.)
9. Use your hammer to nail in two nails about two inches in from each side of the weatherstripping. Then, install another nail every 12 inches or so.
10. Open and close the door several times to make sure it does so properly.

Replacing Weatherstripping

1. First, use the back end of a hammer to remove the nails in the old weatherstripping around your door.
2. Next, use a large nail to clean out the grooves and make the area ready for your new weatherstripping.
3. After that, close the door and measure the top of the frame from side to side.
4. On one of the smaller pieces of weatherstripping, start at one end and repeat the measurement you just took. Make a mark at the end.
5. Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the foam part of the weatherstripping at the mark and a hack saw to cut the flange part.
6. Repeat steps repeat steps 4-6 with the other three sides of your door and your weatherstripping.
7. Starting at one end of the threshold, use your hammer and wood-tapping block (if necessary) to drive the flanges down into the grooves.
8. Open and close the door several times to make sure it operates properly.

*Photo courtesy of granvillelumber.com